lonely kitty

[lou1990lou]

I walked into a small pet shop in town today, one "cage" (not cage, but don't know how to describe it) had a bunch of kittens, the one next to it had one on its own.
As this last kitten was a lot bigger than the others, i'm guessing it was part of another litter.

Anyways, i walked in and heard a meowing, and was surprised to see them, as i never saw it "stock" cats before.

the kitty looked lonely and sounded very sad, it looked quite friendly.

I'm gutted because if i had been in the position to be able to do so, i would've taken the kitty home with me, i desperately want a kitty but i don't think i will be able to give it enough attention over the next year....

[Sandti]

I know how you feel, I've wanted a cat since I was 17...one day!

[Flamestriker]

I've got such a weakness for kittens...I try not to even look at them in pet shops. Cute nose, tiny paws, mewing....awwwwwwwwww!

[Kissa]

... I have a feeling that's illegal in the UK? Poor kitty :( I don't think I would have been able to leave them, I have always had a soft spot for kittens...

[Hammielover]

I thought it was illegal as well ... ?

Tbh if i took all the animals i ever wanted a zoo wouldn't be big enough for them :P

[Erin Loves Dwarf Hamsters]

It's not illegal, just socially unacceptable and most pet shops avoid it and treat it as an unwritten law hence why you next to never see dogs or cats in pet shops, I thought it was illegal too but did a search on it a couple of weeks ago and found that out :) The RSPCA would certainly want to go and check the kittens are being treated properly though and aren't just being bought by anyone, often any that do appear in shops will get taken away before they have chance to be bought on impulse. It may be worth informing them about it if someone hasn't already.

Poor little kitty all on its own :(

[Sandti]

The petshops near me usually do it with people who have unwanted kittens and basically try and find them new homes.

[HollyHamster]

Keep in mind that the costs pile up fast when taking care of a cat. You have to get them spayed/neutered if they already haven't done so, (both for their health and to keep the pet overpopulation problem down), and kittens need a whole series of shots to help prevent diseases like Feline Leukemia and Rabies, They will then need an annual vet check-up to make sure they are, excuse the pun, purring like a kitten, and the monthly cost of groceries, toys, kitty litter, and whatnot. It all amounts to a little more than $1000 or £645.90 a year. This doesn't factor in the costs of vet care for an acute/chronic illness or surgery. That could fetch as much as several thousand dollars/pounds, or more.

Its a hefty commitment, but one full of many rewards. So the next time you see a cute little furry face looking at you, be warned, kitties are not cheap.

[Lougarry]

I was shocked to see 2 kittens in a glass display tank in a local pet shop a few weeks ago. It's years since I've seen kittens in a shop in the UK. The last time was in Barcelona.

[gellerbing]

no pet shops where i live "stock" puppies or kittens anymore, i thought it had been made illegal

[p_anda]

Where I used to live my local pet shop always had plenty of kittens and puppies for sale...mainly Jack Russel, Yorkshire, Highland terriers and other smaller breeds, kitten-wise they used to have British Short-haired, Siamese and Persians. MInd you, these would be sold at breeder prices, the Jack Russels cost around 1200 pounds and the kittens would fetch for 700-1000 pounds each. I have a British Shorthair myself, felt especially bad for those in the shop. :(

Only when they had difficulty selling them would they lower their prices to 400-600 pounds, but that wouldn't be written next to their enclosure, people would have to haggle with the shop owner. You could regularly hear these conversations on the phone and in the shop too, front of the other customers. In their defense, the animals in the shop were always in tip-top condition and they were well cared for, everything from the feeder insects through the rodents to the kittens and puppies. Though it didn't make it any less of a business with the main goal of making money.

My boyfriend's sister bought a 'teacup' chihuahua from a pet shop, with no papers, no nothing for 1500 pounds. Now, grown up, this teacup chihuahua is a size of a rather large regular one. :rolleyes: Also he was taken at one point from her, due to a fear that he may have rabies, as he was smuggled in from Slovakia from a puppy mill.

I think pet shops just need to stop selling animals, full stop.

You might feel bad for this cat, but at the end of the day, by buying it, you're only supporting the trade of the pet shop and at worst you are supporting a kitten mill. It will be replaced by another kitten as soon as you buy it.

[lou1990lou]

Ah i didn't realise there were such strong stipulations on it!

I will go in there and have a gander tomorrow, just ot make sure they look ok.

Either way i shall still leave a message with the RSPCA, just in case. Tbf, i've never liked where the hammies/mice are situated, right below noisy cockatoos and other noisy birds. I can't imagine it'd be very nice for the little dears.

Also, to the person who mentioned the costs, i realised the costs, which is one of the reasons that if my flat permitted one i probably wouldn't get one.

[Kirsty1987]

I have 2 pet shops where i live that both sell kittens. One of them lets the kittens out of the cage to run around the shop which i was very surprised about as i though that would cause a lot of stress to the other animals in the shop and if someone opens the shop door they could just dart out straight into the road. Also they don't really ask questions when you buy an animal from them no paper work nothing just ok give us the money animals your and thats it is this right?